News March 2017

Kristeen Hernandez aka Lady2SootheFollow @OurVoicesEchoHIGHLIGHTED LINKS UNDERLINED IN BLUEARE EMBEDDED LINKS TO NEWS SOURCES. CLICKING OPENS THE FULL ARTICLE IN A NEW TAB.

5-3-17 ~ Settler State Repression: Standing Rock Battles Continue in the Courtshttp://tinyurl.com/llqm2u5
As a means of making bombing, sanctioning or invading other countries palatable to the general population, the US government has consistently used the actions of other governments against their own people as an excuse. Those actions have included the use of chemical weapons, torture, setting dogs against people, beatings, surveillance, forcibly removing people from their land, jailing them unjustly, holding staged trials, and issuing verbal and physical threats, among many others.

4-28-17 ~ NO JAIL TIME FOR NON-NATIVE MAN WHO TERRORIZED WATER PROTECTORS AT BISMARCK HOTELhttp://tinyurl.com/mney9ga
Jesse Dean McLain, a Bismarck non-Native man, who was charged with two Class C felony charges of terrorizing for water protectors last December at the Ramada Inn in Bismarck, North Dakota, has signed a plea that will keep him from serving jail time.

4-26-17 ~ Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard on DAPL Protests and Seventh Generation Activistshttp://tinyurl.com/mq4k2c9
LaDonna Brave Bull Allard was there when the very first tipis went up at Standing Rock last spring — and when they came down this winter. Her land was the site of Sacred Stone, the first camp of resistance against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Allard remained on the ground through all the clashes with law enforcement and private security. She endured water cannons, tear gas, attack dogs, and seeing her own daughter arrested and brutalized over the course of the protests.

4-25-17 ~ Morton County Sheriff rejects public information requests on Standing Rockhttp://tinyurl.com/kp8ksag
Morton County is one of five law enforcement agencies in the United States concealing public records related to protests, reports Muck Rock. In fact Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier is now one of the five worst in the United States when it comes to rejecting Freedom of Information Act requests.

4-25-17 ~ U.S. says: ‘Too dangerous to reveal risks of DAPL oil spills in Lake Oahe’http://tinyurl.com/n6r6zno
The Army Corps of Engineers says it would endanger lives if it reveals the truth about potential oil spills of Dakota Access pipeline in Lake Oahe. The U.S. Army Corps refuses to respond to a Freedom of Information Request by Muck Rock news. The Army Corps counsel said he is withholding the facts, based on the U.S. law “which protects records compiled for law enforcement purposes and that if released could be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of an individual.

4-22-17 ~ Charges Dropped Against 33 Dakota Access Pipeline Protestershttp://tinyurl.com/kn84efb
Authorities dropped nearly three dozen cases last month that stemmed from arrests of protesters against the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline. prosecutors and judges dropped the 33 misdemeanor cases while another 14 were resolved by guilty pleas. Most of the cases dropped last month related to criminal trespass charges from the late summer and fall.

4-22-17 ~ Standing Rock “RISE” Best feature award Green Film Fest San Franciscohttp://tinyurl.com/mphydvz
Congratulations to Viceland’s ‘Rise’ and to the water protectors for awakening the world. Rise is San Francisco Green Film Fest’s Best Feature Film. — Censored News

4-21-17 ~ The Company Behind the Dakota Access Pipeline Just Had 2 Major Spillshttp://tinyurl.com/kjohcv4
Environmentalists say their “worst fears” have been confirmed, with the company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline getting caught producing two major spills in its latest project, just one month after construction started. The Rover Pipeline will ultimately carry natural gas across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and Canada, crossing three major rivers in its path – but these latest incidents have caused millions of gallons of drilling fluids to flow into Ohio’s wetlands. In the documents, Energy Transfer Partners – the company behind the Rover Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline – confirmed receiving notice of these “inadvertent” environmental violations.

4-18-17 ~ The FBI Likes Your Water Protectors Post Too: The Do’s and Don’tshttp://tinyurl.com/ly7spsh
Despite the attack dogs, mace, rubber bullets, Tasers, water and sound cannons, tear gas, pepper spray, concussion grenades, and dog kennels, our people remained strong. But we must protect ourselves, relatives. Please consider these simple actions to keep you and your fellow water protectors safe:

4-12-17 ~ Federal Judge allows DAPL to keep some information secrethttp://tinyurl.com/mksdnky
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says information such as spill risks at points along the pipeline should be shielded from public view but certain details relating to how a spill might be handled shouldn’t be.

http://tinyurl.com/mksdnky
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says information such as spill risks at points along the pipeline should be shielded from public view but certain details relating to how a spill might be handled shouldn’t be.

4-11-17 ~ Sheriff Who Met DAPL Opponents With Brute Force Now Advising Other Law Enforcementhttp://tinyurl.com/m9stluk
Nebraska officials are reportedly preparing for what the expect will be massive protests against the Keystone XL pipeline. Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, made infamous for leading his department in brutal confrontations with opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline, is reportedly advising other law enforcement on how to deal with protesters.

4-8-17 ! Army Corps Of Engineers Under Fire! Builder Allegedly Didn’t Have Permit to Build Under Lake Oahehttp://tinyurl.com/mcv4zlj
the Corps has provided “virtually no information to Congress regarding its oversight of the project” and that the Corps’ actions have left real questions over whether it made “efforts to make sure that Energy Transfer Partners complies with even the most fundamental environmental, safety and mitigation conditions of its easement and permits.”

4-8-17 ~ Senate Members: DAPL -No Permit?http://tinyurl.com/mgs7j3x
Top Senate Democrats are questioning whether the builder and manager of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) had a permit to construct a controversial stretch of the project near tribal land and water sources. “We are concerned that Energy Transfer Partners or its subsidiaries might have been drilling under Lake Oahe without a permit and while project approval was under a court challenge given news reports and court documents showing that the pipeline is close to completion 50 days ahead of schedule,” the senators wrote.

4-6-17 ~ Democrats Demand Answers to Alarming Questions About Trump and the Dakota Access Pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/lc46qgq
The Dakota Access oil pipeline may be nearly operational, but some Democrats are raising concerns about what they say is the alarming lack of oversight surrounding the controversial project.

4-6-17 ~ After Using Chemical Weapons at Standing Rock, U.S. Slams Syrian Attackhttp://tinyurl.com/mlr348q
The use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare was banned after World War I — a prohibition that was reaffirmed in 1972 and again in 1993. Tear gas, which is recognized as a chemical weapon, was included in the 1993 ban, but the final agreement allowed governments to use it domestically for riot control. American police have used it to suppress protests for decades. Though the vast majority of protesters at the Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrations in Standing Rock, North Dakota, were peaceful, law enforcement sprayed them with the chemical weapon

4-6-17 ~ Wounded on the front line at Standing Rock, a protester refuses to give up her fighthttp://tinyurl.com/klqnpyb
On the night Vanessa Dundon was shot in the eye, she was on the front lines looking up at a phalanx of police.
It was after sundown on a cold night at the Backwater Bridge at the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Dundon, 31, a Navajo and mother of four, had arrived two months earlier to join thousands of others in their battle against the Dakota Access pipeline.

4-1-17 ~ Ojibwe Grandmother has walked 17,000 km to raise consciousness about waterhttp://tinyurl.com/lzb33fo
A First Nations elder who has “walked the equivalent of half the earth’s circumference” to build awareness about pollution, laws, fracking, and the selling of the water, is being honoured today in Toronto. Josephine Mandamin received the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation at a ceremony held at Queen’s Park.

3-30-17 ~ Epic Lakota man on big screen in Bismarckhttp://tinyurl.com/kdcb6cl
A Lakota Sioux elder — with all his wit and wisdom — is the main character in a feature-length movie that has its North Dakota debut tonight at the Grand 22 Theatres in Bismarck. In the movie “Neither Wolf Nor Dog,” a would-be author travels to the Dakotas to meet Dan, a Lakota man of spirituality and history portrayed by David Beautiful Bald Eagle. The encounter involves a road trip across the Plains, exploring cross-cultural friendship and contemporary Native American life.

3-30-17 ~ Ohio State Highway Patrol’s #NoDAPL photos show a familiar perspective – and confirm a sniper was deployedhttp://tinyurl.com/mwve95e
In response to a public records request by Mike Best, the Ohio State Highway Patrol released a huge collection of photos and video taken during their deployment at Standing Rock. While a large amount were culled from protestor’s social media accounts, a separate .zip file contains official police records. These provide a previously unseen perspective on the size and scope of the protest …

3-29-17 ~ Chase Iron Eyes in Courthttp://tinyurl.com/mzkcvh7
BISMARCK, N.D. Chase Iron Eyes pleaded not guilty to charges relating to a February incident where law enforcement removed him from a protest camp. The judge decided on a jury trial that will happen at a later date. He could face up to five years in prison if convicted on the felony charge.

3-29-17 ~ WEIRD NEWS – Dakota Pipeline Protestor Has Drone Shot Downhttp://tinyurl.com/maj4gk4
A search warrant was issued for the contents of a Facebook profile belonging to Dean Dedman, 31. Dedman is a member of the Standing Rock Hunkpapa tribe located in South Dakota. Videos were posted to Dedman’s Facebook page showing the drone being shot at by police near the staging areas. Police hit the drone with one “non-lethal bean bag round.” Dedman can be seen holding the drone with a broken landing gear. Dedman claims that a second drone was shot down as it flew over the Dakota Access Pipeline drill pad.

3-28-17 ~ Iron Eyes pleads not guilty to pipeline protest chargehttp://tinyurl.com/kxx49dh
Chase Iron Eyes and 73 others were arrested Feb. 1 after setting up teepees on land that authorities say is owned by the pipeline developer. Protesters maintain they were peacefully assembling on land they believe rightfully belongs to American Indians.

3-2017 ~ Standing Rock Water Protectors with ‘DAPL cough’: get tested for poisoninghttp://tinyurl.com/mpg655g
Symptoms of the DAPL cough include coughing accompanied by severe fatigue, deep lung congestion and discomfort. Not cured by antibiotics, it often lasts from two to 16 weeks. Some report bloody noses and brain fog. Others report coughing up blood.

3-27-17 ~ Protesters Ready to Put ‘Bodies on the Line’ to Block Southern End of Dakota Access Pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/kpd45cw
Protesters in Louisiana say they are ready to put their “bodies on the line” if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves construction of Energy Transfer Partners’ Bayou Bridge Pipeline, which is the tail end of the Dakota Access Pipeline’s network.

3-23-17 ~ Dakota Pipeline Billionaire Slams Standing Rock Protestshttp://tinyurl.com/kmelx5d
Kelcy Warren’s name is likely unknown to many demonstrators gathered in protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline. He is, however, arguably the most important figure in the controversial oil line’s development. Warren, 61, is the billionaire chairman of Energy Transfer Equity, a Dallas-based oil and gas heavyweight he cofounded in 1995. Through a complex web of subsidiaries, the firm is the principal owner of the Dakota pipeline.

3-22-17 ~ Dakota Access pipeline vandalized in two states – officialshttp://tinyurl.com/mqr64qw
Vandals are alleged to have attacked sections of the Dakota Access pipeline in two separate incidents. A hole was burned in an empty section of the pipeline in South Dakota, and others took a blowtorch to a safety valve in Iowa, according to authorities. Calling it “felony vandalism,” the South Dakota Attorney General’s office spokeswoman Sara Raber confirmed the incident on the Dakota Access Pipeline on Tuesday.

3-21-17 ~ These Cities Are Pulling Billions From the Banks That Support the Dakota Access Pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/mwzctmo
From the start, the Seattle agitators saw their effort as the spark that might ignite a nationwide divestment drive. They meant to be a model. “We knew if we succeeded here we could create ripple effects in other communities around the country,” says Matt Remle, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and a leading anti-DAPL organizer in the city.

3-20-17 ~ North Dakota justifies eviction at Standing Rock to prevent “environmental catastrophe”http://tinyurl.com/luoa77c
Governor of North Dakota Doug Burgum’s office has finally provided us with records about how they went about cleaning up the Oceti Sakowin protest camps at Standing Rock. Due to the dismantling being conducted by private contractors, there isn’t much in terms of concrete actions, but we did receive some intriguing memoranda coming out of the Governor’s office.

3-20-17 ~ Bank in Netherlands Sells Stake in Dakota Access Pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/kmhvdvp
The Netherlands-based financial institution, ING, has announced that it has sold off its share of loan debt to the Dakota Access pipeline. In selling off its $120 million of DAPL debt, ING, one of 17 syndicate banks financing DAPL, becomes the first bank to cut ties with the project.

3-20-17 ~ North Dakota justifies eviction at Standing Rock to prevent “environmental catastrophe”http://tinyurl.com/luoa77c
The collection of documents released to us illustrate how fraught the relationship is between the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and North Dakota, with multiple references to the camp being “an ecological disaster waiting to happen.” Claims that the camp was going to pollute the Cannonball River were issued by Burgum himself, and members of his staff.

3-18-17 ~ Appeals court refuses to stop oil in Dakota Access pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/lhumynt
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Saturday denied a request from the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes for an emergency order. That means the pipeline to move North Dakota oil to Illinois could be operating as early as Monday.

3-17-17 ~ Sami people persuade Norway pension fund to divest from Dakota Accesshttp://tinyurl.com/mlbzxat
In an act of international solidarity between indigenous peoples, the Sami parliament in Norway has persuaded the country’s second largest pension fund to withdraw its money from companies linked to a controversial oil project backed by Donald Trump.

3-17-17 ~ Judge Combines 4 Tribal Suits Over Dakota Access Pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/lctmp4u
The neighboring Standing Rock and Cheyenne River tribes teamed up last summer in the main lawsuit against Texas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that granted pipeline permits at more than 200 water crossings, including the Missouri River. The Yankton Sioux also sued last summer, and the Oglala Sioux filed its own lawsuit last month. The four Dakotas tribes make essentially the same claims: The pipeline threatens cultural sites and the Missouri, from which they get water for drinking and religious practices.

3-16-17 ~ We asked for your messages to Trump about Standing Rock. Here’s what you saidhttp://tinyurl.com/k4cvjxp
A few weeks ago, before the last protest camps at Standing Rock were cleared, President Donald Trump said he hadn’t “received a single call from anyone” about the Dakota Access pipeline. One reason that could’ve been the case? The White House comment line was blocked to incoming messages. So we created our own phone number and asked you to leave us a voicemail explaining what you think Trump should know about the pipeline.

3-16-17 ~ San Francisco Votes No on DAPLhttp://tinyurl.com/kmpkwvp
Board of Supervisors’ unanimous resolution aims to pull $1.2 billion of San Francisco funds out of DAPL banks

3-16-17 ~ Is the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe running out of legal options to stop the pipeline?http://tinyurl.com/muzmmm7
Audio: Dakota and Dine Nation activist Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network discussed the Dakota Access pipeline and what’s happened since President Trump signed an executive order to continue construction.

3-15-17 ~ From the Ashes of Standing Rock, a Beautiful Resistance is Bornhttp://tinyurl.com/khrgklm
If you’re like me, you are probably feeling a deep sorrow in your heart over the news that oil will soon flow through that black snake of death, the Dakota Access Pipeline. Despite the largest gathering of tribes in over 100 years, despite the prayers and militant resistance, despite hundreds of water protectors facing trumped up felony charges, despite the occupations, blockades, lockdowns and sabotage; DAPL has prevailed. It is true, we lost the battle of Standing Rock, but there are signs that we are winning the war on fossil fuel infrastructure.

3-15-17 ~ Amnesty International raises concerns about treatment of pipeline protestershttp://tinyurl.com/nyydzad
The board of Amnesty International USA says it has “serious human rights concerns” about the treatment of Dakota Access Pipeline opponents on or near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
The organization’s board of directors recently wrote a letter to North Dakota’s governor and attorney general calling on state officials to investigate the use of water hoses and chemical irritants used against protesters and arrests the organization said involved excessive force.

3-15-17 ~ Smithsonian Says It Was Wrong to Ask Water Protectors to Remove Jacketshttp://tinyurl.com/lemndc6
A group of Native American women who were in Washington, D.C. to take part in the Native Nations Rise March are asking for the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) to increase cultural sensitivity training for its workers after the women were forced by staff to remove their jackets, which were adorned with patches and pins supporting water protectors and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

3-15-17 ~ The Revolution Will Not Be Televised… But It Will Be Livestreamedhttp://tinyurl.com/mpa5fhh
Beneath the dusking sky in Standing Rock, North Dakota, on February 21, 2017, approximately 50 journalists gathered on a hillside overlooking the Oceti Sakowin Camp, where for months thousands of people from all over the world had converged to fight against the construction of the 3.8 billion dollar Dakota Access Pipeline. Some of the journalists were trying to protect themselves and their camera equipment from the spitting rain that had started up once again. Others simply resigned themselves to the elements. Most were covered in mud.

3-15-17 ~ Highway 1806 to reopen Fridayhttp://tinyurl.com/lfr9fow
Pilot cars will escort vehicles through the stretch, and drivers should expect 30-minute delays, according to a statement by the state’s Joint Information Center released Tuesday. The two-way traffic pattern includes crosssing the contested Backwater Bridge.

3-15-17 ~ Norway’s largest insurance company to divest $67 million from DAPL, says Human rights are violatedhttp://tinyurl.com/kuzr6jn
The public sector union fund said it was divesting “due to an unacceptable risk of contributing to serious or systemic human rights violations.” n Monday a USD$70 billion pension fund owned by Norway’s public sector employee unions announced that it would divest from four companies involved in the Dakota Access Pipeline Project “due to an unacceptable risk of contributing to serious or systemic human rights violations.”

3-15-17 ~ Dakota Access protest camps cleared after $1.1 million federal cleanup; four more dogs rescuedhttp://tinyurl.com/kson2pl
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wrapped up its $1.1 million cleanup of the Dakota Access pipeline protest camps on federal land in North Dakota, hauling away 835 dumpsters of remaining trash and debris. The site, once occupied by thousands of environmental demonstrators, is now vacant.

3-15-17 ~ Largest march for native rights in DC ignored by the White House and mainstream mediahttp://tinyurl.com/gub3lcz
The White House didn’t comment nor answer to the tribe’s request. There were a few mainstream Media sources that relayed the event, but the most important information was from social media sites, Twitter and Facebook. Native American tribes and their supporters headed to the US capital for four days of demonstrations against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline and to raise awareness of other issues affecting Native Americans.

3-14-17 ~ Talk of the Town: Dakota pipeline will benefit humanity, extend fossil fuel resourceshttp://tinyurl.com/l6zxt9s
The saga of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) (crude oil) continued with the Jan. 24 signing by President Trump of an executive order directing the Army Corps of Engineers to “review and approve in an expedited manner, to the extent provided by law” the easements across federal lands necessary to complete the construction of the DAPL. On Feb. 7, it was announced that the Corps had approved the subject easements.

3-14-17 ~ U.S. judge denies tribe’s request to stop oil flow in Dakota Access pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/klsf9ms
Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued his decision denying the request by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, saying the court “acknowledges that the tribe is likely to suffer irreparable harm to its members’ religious exercise if oil is introduced into the pipeline, but Dakota Access would also be substantially harmed by an injunction, given the financial and logistical injuries that would ensue.”

3-12-17 ~ North Dakota Introduces Resolution to give State’s Rights over Reservationshttp://tinyurl.com/n72xn5j
January 26 Rep. Kempenich, Steiner introduced a resolution to urge Congress to give State’s the ability to engage with Tribes over development on reservations. HRC 3017 reads: “A concurrent resolution urging Congress to modify the Indian reservation system by vesting the states with the ability to engage in relations with Native American tribes and with the responsibility of developing plans to improve the failed Indian reservation system, advance and elevate the quality of life on Indian reservations, promote and increase literacy on Indian reservations, and help Indian reservations to achieve economic stability and independence.”

3-11-17 ~ Indiana reveals the arsenal they brought with them to Standing Rockhttp://tinyurl.com/laj36mu
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has provided us with a remarkably unredacted look at their EMAC (Emergency Management Assistance Compact) agreement with North Dakota. 37 sworn law enforcement officers from nine different Indiana agencies including Indianapolis Metropolitan PD, were deployed to Morton County. Their mission lasted for 18 days and went through late October to early November.

3-10-17 ~ Tipis Rise on the National Mall http://tinyurl.com/hszd2yx
Tipis have sprung up on the National Mall alongside the Washington Monument as Natives and allies converge on the U.S. capital to demand a halt to humans’ collective destruction of our habitat, starting with fossil fuels and pipelines. Indigenous Peoples are flocking to Washington D.C. for four days of events including musical performances, panels and other cultural activities, centered around resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) as well as to uphold indigenous and treaty rights, and to stand for environmental justice.

3-10-17 ~ Prosecutors Withdraw Warrant To Search Dakota Access Protesters’ Facebook Accountshttp://tinyurl.com/lanf5un
UPDATE: Facebook users who are members of the Bellingham #NoDAPL coalition page need no longer worry about law enforcement examining their accounts. On March 13, the Whatcom County prosecutor’s office in Washington state withdrew a search warrant that sought data about members of the coalition and other users who had interacted with them last month. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the individual who created the coalition’s Facebook page, announced that the warrant had been withdrawn. Prosecutor David McEachran didn’t respond to HuffPost’s inquiries.

3-10-17 ~ ND officials hope to mend tribal relationship after pipeline protestshttp://tinyurl.com/mutkpa7
In the days after Dakota Access Pipeline protesters left the main camps, state leaders are hoping to mend a relationship with North Dakota tribes that many said became frayed during the monthslong protests.

3-9-17 ~ Standing Rock activists just released their first, brutally effective #NoDAPL TV commercialhttp://tinyurl.com/kye8uu8
This week, #NoDAPL activists at the Lakota Law Project released what is perhaps the most direct appeal to that second arena to date: A short, emotionally stirring TV commercial that highlights not only the potential environmental risks posed by the oil pipeline, but the blatant hypocrisy of those who argued to move its path away from a city at the expense of the neighboring Standing Rock tribe.

3-9-17 ~ Police win warrant to search Dakota Access Pipeline protest Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/jtv9gat
The warrant from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Department seeks data surrounding the Bellingham #NoDAPL Coalition’s Facebook page. The page, with more than 1,000 followers, provides information about pipeline environmental issues and is used to organize political protests and connect political activists.

3-8-17 ~ Dakota Pipeline protests come to Wall Street: Native American activists hope to pressure big banks to back off http://tinyurl.com/hq7u4ut
In less than 60 days in office, President Donald Trump has set back the nation and the entire planet at least 30 years when it comes to the looming environmental challenges we face from climate change and increasing fresh water scarcity. Imagine Trump as an evil version of Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown, the mad scientist in “Back to the Future” who offers Marty McFly a joyride into the past in his DeLorean, while clad in a snappy Make America Great Again baseball cap.

3-8-17 ~ WARRANT SERVED ON FACEBOOK IS OVERBROAD AND VIOLATES FIRST AND FOURTH AMENDMENTS, ACLU ARGUES IN COURT FILING http://tinyurl.com/he76crs
The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a motion to quash a warrant issued to police to search a Facebook community page for a broad range of information about a local group engaged in protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline and advocating for environmental justice.

3-8-17 ~ Oil could begin flowing through Dakota Access pipeline as early as next week http://tinyurl.com/zvsxtjz
U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington denied a request by the Cheyenne River Indian tribe to halt construction on grounds that the pipeline violated its members’ religious freedom. The tribe had claimed that the pipeline was “a terrible Black Snake prophesied to come into the Lakota homeland and cause destruction” by desecrating water used in religious ceremonies.

3-7-17 ~ Judge denies tribe’s request to block Dakota Access pipeline http://tinyurl.com/zlt3kb9
A federal judge on Tuesday denied a Native American tribe’s request to block the Dakota Access pipeline. The Cheyenne River Sioux tribe said the controversial oil pipeline project violates its religious freedom due to its placement under Lake Oahe. The tribe uses the lake for sacred ceremonies, and its lawyers argued that the mere presence of an oil pipeline under the lake desecrates the water and violates their religious freedom.

3-7-17 ~ 9TH CIRCUIT AFFIRMS INDIAN RESERVATIONS HAVE RESERVED GROUNDWATER RIGHTS http://tinyurl.com/h4bhj74
the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed “the district court’s partial summary judgment in favor of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and the United States, which declared that the United States impliedly reserved appurtenant water sources, including groundwater, when it created the Tribe’s reservation in California’s arid Coachella Valley.”

3-6-17 ~ Memos Reveal Army Corps Knows Dakota Access Pipeline Violates Legal Requirementhttp://tinyurl.com/k7aq4eu
On March 3, MinnPost reported that four memos were pulled from the Department of the Interior website on the Army Corps of Engineers after Donald Trump took office, citing their removal signifies, “an attempt to make opaque some serious shortcomings in the Corps’ performance on DAPL that are little known and less understood.”

3-6-17 ~ More questions about donations following the end of Sacred Stone Camp http://tinyurl.com/zwzxhfb
Now, in the days after the remaining water protectors were forced to leave Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota, which also left many questions about the donation money that was received by LaDonna Tamakawastewin Allard for the camp. It is not the first time people have had questions about donations raised for the water protectors. Previously we witnessed a huge backlash when the Standing Rock Sioux tribal council announced $3.1 million of the donated money would go toward the tribe’s standing debts.

3-6-17 ~ Indiana reveals the arsenal they brought with them to Standing Rockhttp://tinyurl.com/laj36mu
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has provided us with a remarkably unredacted look at their EMAC (Emergency Management Assistance Compact) agreement with North Dakota. 37 sworn law enforcement officers from nine different Indiana agencies including Indianapolis Metropolitan PD, were deployed to Morton County. Their mission lasted for 18 days and went through late October to early November.

3-6-17 ~ Catholics Call Dakota Access Pipeline “Morally Unacceptable” http://tinyurl.com/zsy4ljk
Would Jesus put the profits of a few before the health of many? Not likely. It’s easy then to know how Jesus would feel about the Dakota Access pipeline, which puts drinking water for millions at risk.

3-3-17 ~ Taking NoDAPL to the White House: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to lead historic march on Washington http://tinyurl.com/zw72erb
n Friday, March 10, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe will march with indigenous people and allies to oppose Trump’s continued aggression on tribal nations and stand in solidarity with all Native Nations to protect their sovereignty. Since his inauguration, Trump has worked to force through the Dakota Access Pipeline. He has disregarded the Environmental Impact Statement process, ignored tribal consultation, and acted in clear violation of treaty rights. Members of his administration have even blatantly lied about their communication with the Tribe. The Tribe is marching to call on the administration to hear why it’s critical for the U.S. government to respect treaty rights.

3-3-17 ~ U.N. Investigator Says Native American Rights were Violated by DAPL Law Enforcement http://tinyurl.com/zx3dvyd
An official with the United Nations says the rights of Native Americans in North Dakota are not being respected by the state. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz visited Dakota Access protest camps in Morton County. Tauli-Corpuz is the U.N.’s special investigator on the rights of indigenous peoples. She says authorities used unnecessary force and that the reports of the cleanup in the county have been blown out of proportion.

3-3-17 ~ Suppressed memo shows many failings in Corps review of Dakota Access planhttp://tinyurl.com/ld5sgxs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fast-track approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline’s Missouri River crossing on January 24, four legal memoranda related to the project were pulled from the Interior Department website.

3-3-17 ~ Leadhorse Choctaw Arrested at Ceremonial Grounds at Standing Rock, Now on Hunger Strike in Jail http://tinyurl.com/zduwls9
Leadhorse Choctaw was arrested at the Ceremonial Grounds during the raid on the Seventh Generation Camp when the camp was attacked by police. Leadhorse was manning the Sacred Fire when he was pepper sprayed and handcuffed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs police. “Leadhorse was kidnapped by BIA police and taken to the Fort Yates Jail. He is on a hunger strike and told the court he will die there for the cause.”

3-2-17 ~ North Dakota casino proposal risks angering tribes http://tinyurl.com/h8z5q5x
North Dakota’s top House Republican is proposing six state-owned casinos, a move that risks angering American Indian tribes at a time relations have already been rubbed raw by the dispute over the Dakota Access oil pipeline.The only casinos in North Dakota are on the state’s five American Indian reservations, and those are central to the tribes’ economies. Some lawmakers say Fargo Rep. Al Carlson’s proposal to add six state-owned casinos is little more than a threat of payback for millions of dollars in law enforcement and other costs the state bore because of protests over the Dakota Access pipeline.

3-2-17 ~ Wisconsin governor appears to choose subduing Standing Rock protest over aiding Hurricane Matthew victimshttp://tinyurl.com/mpofn5d
Although the Oceti Sakowin camp has been demolished, and the Standing Rock protests have officially come to an end, we here at MuckRock will continue covering this event. The demonstrations in Morton County were at the intersection of indigenous rights, environmental crises, and police forces bent on subduing nonviolent protest, and there is plenty more to unpack.

3-2-17 ~ Three Unicorn Riot Journalists Have #NoDAPL Arrest Charges Dropped http://tinyurl.com/gwez7yn
Three Unicorn Riot journalists who were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing while documenting #NoDAPL direct actions have had their charges dropped in court dates set for the first three days of March. On Wednesday, March 1, Unicorn Riot journalist Jenn Schreiter had their criminal trespass charge dismissed in Iowa. The following Thursday, March 2, two other Unicorn Riot journalists had their criminal trespassing charges dropped in North Dakota.

3-1-17 ~ Sen. Franken Wants FBI Explanation Why It’s Investigating DAPL Protesters http://tinyurl.com/j6twp6q
“I am concerned that the reported questioning of political activists by one of the FBI’s terrorism task forces threatens to chill constitutionally protected conduct and speech,” Senator Franken writes in the letter. Franken cites reports that JTTF agents have attempted to question at least three individuals who opposed the Dakota Access pipeline at camps at Standing Rock.

3-1-17 ~ Private investor divests $34.8m from firms tied to Dakota Access pipeline http://tinyurl.com/z3wtx32
Norway’s largest private investor is divesting from three companies tied to the Dakota Access pipeline, a small victory for the Standing Rock movement one week after the eviction of the main protest encampment.

3-1-17 ~ Private investor divests $34.8m from firms tied to Dakota Access pipelinehttp://tinyurl.com/z3wtx32
Norway’s largest private investor is divesting from three companies tied to the Dakota Access pipeline, a small victory for the Standing Rock movement one week after the eviction of the main protest encampment.